August, the sweet end of the summer, when we squeeze out the last drops of doing not much as much as we can. Just like everyone else out there, I cannot fathom how the past two months are gone. It’s all a blur of trips to the pool, sweet red toddler faces out hiking, popsicles, weekends, and generally pleasant days of work.

The weather has been so cool and wonderful this past week. Today I wore a long sleeve shirt even. I can’t think it would be fall starting to slip in on cool breezes and golden leaves, but maybe it is. This past weekend we got out, sans children, on a 12-mile hike – which is more walking/running than I’ve done since first being pregnant 5 years ago. Such a good sore feeling. Taking care of the kids is lots of work and is very tired-making, but it’s so different than the good, worn out feeling of walking a long distance. We hike with the kids too, but that doesn’t involve distance. It involves looking at dirt and bugs and jumping around on rocks, and stopping for lots of snacks, and usually carrying a sweet tired little body the last half mile back to the car.

I’ve been bitten by the reading bug. Does that happen to you? Going through phases of not reading all that much, not loving the books you pick, and then suddenly not being a moment without a good book and feeling like every book you choose is just right? This summer I started riding the bus to work (thank you city for lowering bus pass prices!), which gives me about an hour and a half of (relatively) quiet reading each day. When I see other passengers on the bus with a book in their hands I feel like we’re part of a silent commuting reading club. And it’s extra great when they are reading a paper book, rather than on their phone or tablet, because I can sneak sly glances at what they’re reading to get ideas. People always say, ooooh! being a librarian must be so wonderful – you get to read all day! I’ll join the chorus dispelling the myth. It’s NOT TRUE. I never read at work. But being around books, being part of an ongoing never ending conversation about books (and films and music…) is such a privilege.

Other good things of late…

Reading :: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. A good friend and I wanted to read a book together this summer, and I don’t know if either one of us would have chosen this book if we’d known how long it was (both being working moms of very small children, which sounds like it needs an acronym). But it’s really great, and I do love hauling it around. I wonder if the show is any good. Also I discovered the world of book boxes via a favorite blog, which led me to this pretty one. I love the summer box I got, and cannot wait to read the book, which I think is sort of a sequel to Home Cooking, which is one of my favorites ever. Now how to not order all the book boxes. Now I want to start making book boxes!

Watching :: Kanopy. Does your library or school subscribe to this streaming service? It’s amazing, seriously. Art house Netflix, I’ve heard it called, and I agree, only better. My favorites this summer have been The Love Witch and Alfie. Very different movies, both so twisted.

Eating :: One pan zucchini and 3 cheese lasagne by Half Baked Harvest. So good. And it does not fit in a mediumish size skillet – it took my big dutch oven to fit it all in. Her cookbook looks really good. And she lives in Colorado!

Making :: The never ending Beekeeper’s Quilt. And when I say never ending, I really mean I hope it never ends. I love it and can’t imagine life without a hexipuff on the go.